Night Gallery (1969) (TV)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Directors:

Boris Sagal
Barry Shear

Writer:

Rod Serling (written by)

Release Date:

8 November 1969 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller | Sci-Fi

Plot:

In the pilot of the television series "Night Gallery" (1970), Rod Serling introduces three separate paintings...

Plot Keywords:

Painting | Nazi | Blackmail | War Criminal | Butler

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Joan Crawford	...	Miss Menlo
Ossie Davis	...	Portifoy
Richard Kiley	...	Strobe
Roddy McDowall	...	Jeremy
Barry Sullivan	...	Dr. Heatherton
Tom Bosley	...	Resnick
George Macready	...	Hendricks
Sam Jaffe	...	Bleum
Norma Crane	...	Gretchen
Barry Atwater	...	Carson
George Murdock	...	1st Agent
Tom Basham	...	Gibbons
Byron Morrow	...	Packer
Garry Goodrow	...	Louis
Shannon Farnon	...	1st Nurse

Also Known As:

Rod Serling's Wax Museum (USA) (alternative title)

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Iceland:12 | USA:Unrated

Company:

Universal TV

Trivia:

The segments "Eyes" and "The Escape Route" are based upon novellas Rod Serling wrote for the book "The Season to Be Wary" in 1967. Serling conceived of this series as a way to revive the anthology concept of "The Twilight Zone" (1959) with a fresh spin. Initially the series was to be called "Rod Serling's Wax Museum."

Goofs:

Factual errors: During the "Escape Route" segment, Israeli agents hold a photo of wanted war criminal SS-Gruppenfuhrer (Major General) Helmuth Arndt. However, the photograph shows Kiley wearing the one-of-a-kind uniform worn by Reichsfuhrer-SS Heinrich Himmler.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Making of '1941' (1996) (V)

One of the better made-for-TV movies

Any film fan knows that this is where Steven Spielberg got his start, directing the second vignette "Eyes". But NIGHT GALLERY deserves more respect and attention because of its overall creepiness than for the debut of a young "genius".

Rod Serling, creator of "The Twilight Zone", hosts this anthology TV movie that later spawned the TV series of the same name. Both the film and the series feature a multitude of guest stars that keep things interesting. Part 1: An obnoxious southern man (superbly played by Roddy McDowall) kills his uncle (George Macready) for his fortune and is later haunted by a painting of the family cemetery. Part 2: A blind woman (Joan Crawford) arranges to use a gambler's eyes (Tom Bosley) so she can see for a few hours, but things don't turn out the way she planned. Part 3: A Nazi war criminal living in South America is enchanted by a beautiful painting that reminds me of his happier past.

Of the three stories, Part 3 is easily the weakest. Part 1 and Part 2 are both amazing pieces of cinema and leave lingering memories to haunt you. But the plot and execution of Part 3 is rather boring and never really provides the viewer with memorable images or even a few chills here and there. Joan Crawford and Roddy McDowall easily take the cake as the best actors in the movie. Having always been a fan of both, I may be a bit biased, but most fans will agree with me that the two play wonderful villains, yet evoke a certain pity when they get theirs. The music in the movie is brilliant, by the way.

NIGHT GALLERY is an above-average TV movie that should be out on DVD already. The VHS is out of print, I believe, but try looking for it. My advice: watch the first two, then stop, rewind, and eject. Avoid the third installment as it will positively ruin the viewing experience.